Obituary: Rafik Hariri

3:13PM GMT 14 Feb 2005

Rafik Hariri became Lebanon's prime minister in 1992 with a vision of building a prosperous country from the ruins of civil war.

A billionaire who had made his fortune in Saudi Arabia's construction industry, he dominated Lebanese politics for 12 years before resigning last October following a bitter rift with the pro-Syrian president Emile Lahoud.

Political sources say that Mr Hariri first contemplated quitting last August minutes after he was told by Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, that Damascus wanted to extend Mr Lahoud's term in office.

It was not the first time Mr Hariri had clashed with his rival.

In 1998 he was hounded from office amid accusations, backed by Mr Lahoud, that he had neglected the poor, but he was returned to power two years later in a landslide election victory.

His wealth and ties to European, Asian and Arab leaders helped keep Lebanon out of an abyss of debt run up during the rebuilding of Beirut after the 15-year civil war ended in 1990.

Mr Hariri's vision, however, floundered as hopes of a lasting Middle East peace settlement collapsed with the start of the second Palestinian intifada four years ago.

The lack of investment in the country meant that Lebanon faced a financial crisis in 2002, but even then Mr Hariri persuaded France to host an international summit where lenders pledged enough cash to avert a meltdown.

His murder, however, will spark another turbulent episode in Lebanon's history and could bring questions about Syria's influence to a head.

Mr Hariri had recently called for Syrian troops to quit Lebanon in the run-up to a general election in May and although Damascus has condemned his murder, the White House has urged the Lebanese government to break its ties with its powerful neighbour.